INTERVIEW
Interview by : Benoit Georges
Pictures by : Karl Joseph
on Monday, September 27th 2004 - 13 510 views
It was last April in Paris that we met Junior Kelly. Buttonholed at his hotel as he was going up to his room, he agreed to answer this interview. Kindly, and in very clear English, he looks back on his beginnings and speaks of his love for music as well as for his seventh album, "Smile".
Reggaefrance / Welcome, Junior Kelly. Could you tell us about your musical education?
Junior Kelly / As far as I'm concerned, my musical education began at home. My brother Jim Kelly was a deejay on the sound systems in the 70s. I found it really intriguing when he came home and talked about all the things, all the places he'd seen playing with the sound system. Ever since then, I've always been interested. He was with the Killimanjaro sound.
Was he with Stur Garv too?
Yes, with Sturg Garv too, but Killimanjaro was the sound he really loved. My brother was the first to draw my attention to music, apart from the fact that my father is a musician: he played the banjo. And my mother sang in church. I was steeped in music but it intensified when my brother died in 1983. I'd never really wanted to make music. I've always loved music, I like composing, but I'd never seen it as a profession, 100%. Because I would never have wanted to do something my brother was already doing. After his death, something drew me more and more towards music, as if there were unfinished work there. He couldn't finish his work, he couldn't see his dream come true. He lives his dream through me and his dream has become mine! I come out of this musical experience grateful and humble: everything I dreamed of in music has come true thanks to reggae and Jah Rastafari.
So what was your first professional recording?
It was late '85, early '86. My first professional recording was Hungry Days. Yes, I made that song a long time ago, well before Love so nice, but people don't know that. Hungry days is my own personal experience, one that everybody can relate to, because the vast majority of the planet knows what hunger is.
You're ranked among the conscious artists…
I certainly hope so!
Why stay faithful to these lyrics?
One of the reasons is that I consider myself a human being, a philanthropist. I've read quite a lot of books about quite a lot of places, and I follow the news closely. We need more love, more understanding between people. War and famine no longer spare anyone. Reggae is my medium for delivering this message. I do it for my own gratification; it gives me peace with myself to contribute to the world officially and properly as a person. One day I'd like to be able to sit down and watch my grandchildren listen to my songs. That's what inspires me. I don't like the idea of playing one of my CDs to my parents and having to skip a song or two because they're vulgar. I would feel very uncomfortable. I do it for myself, but also for the good of the music. As a human being you'll be remembered for your contribution, whether it's good or bad. And nobody wants to be remembered for bad contributions. Me neither! I'd like to look at my work and be proud of it.
You've always recorded for many producers, including for your seven albums. Do you think you'll keep working for a large number of producers?
Yes, because I believe in pooling ideas. Sharing ideas is very important. That's why I like working with guys like Sly and Robbie, Fat Eyes, Dean Fraser… People who can inspire me, who come with good ideas and who help build well-composed music. And Dean is a genius at that, at harmonies; he helps me select the right musicians by choosing the backing singers. All of it to create music with real richness. In my view you shouldn't take shortcuts in music, and money must not be a reason to release tracks that aren't polished and rich. Because people always want more. And I myself am fulfilled when we make sure the music is done 100%.
And you produce yourself…
Yes, on the latest album, "Smile", there are a few tracks that I produced, for the first time! It's an experience! Production is a new path opening up in front of me, one I've never taken. And it lets me understand what producers go through: choosing musicians, planning studio hours… It's really interesting. In fact I recorded more than I expected. It's an experience, and that's also why I called the album Smile, because wherever I went, photographers and journalists often told me: "You make good songs but why don't you smile more?" I like to smile, but if I don't smile much, it's not that I'm unwell or sad: that's just how I am, humble. That's why I chose Smile as the album title, it has a meaning! Smile is a song I really enjoyed producing. There's also Scared for dem life and Do dem something. And here again, Dean helped me a lot in choosing musicians, and the Firehouse band did a few tracks on the album. It's a marvellous album, trust me…
For some time now you've been touring a lot and you have great success outside Jamaica. What do all these journeys and tours bring you?
First of all, it's hard work. It's not easy to leave your children behind and call every day to find out how things are going, school and everything. For example, tomorrow is my mother's birthday and I won't be there. Most of the time I miss my children's birthdays because I'm on the road. And that's hard.
On top of that, I have to live out of my suitcase! That's why I like doing interviews, because it's the only way to know what's going on in a town or a village, what the vibe is like. And besides, I like meeting people. Meeting the media isn't only useful artistically, it is personally too. You recognised me in the lobby as I was about to go up to my room, because I've just arrived and I'm very tired. But I came here because I like it, I like knowing what's going on.
It's hard living out of a suitcase but I love doing my job, having contact with the fans, so that everyone in the hall feels welcome. I don't isolate myself from my audience; they can touch me and feel that they're welcome. I want everyone to be fulfilled, to leave with something rather than just pay, listen and go home. I couldn't do it that way. I interact with my audience. All of that makes touring more enjoyable.
This time we went to Germany, Italy and Spain for the first time and I was made very welcome. Music goes beyond my own person; it spreads, it grows and bears fruit. And it's good to see that I'm wanted in music, that I mean something.
You're already an accomplished artist. What are your plans for the future?
That's a difficult question. I'll answer it in two parts. On the personal side, I want to be a better father to my children. They're my "number one", they're very important to me. I'll try to be there more often for them. I can't have my cake and eat it, I can't be in two places at once. Music may ask even more of me, but my goal is to be more present as a father.
Professionally, my hopes aren't to win a Grammy or sign with a major. Frankly, that's not a goal for me, it's not important. You must think I'm mad… What matters is to keep drawing inspiration from people like you, from my audience, so that they can tell me: "Junior Kelly, we like what you do, keep doing it." My aim for the future is to keep competing with myself to be a better lyricist, a better songwriter, to be even more energetic on stage, to be even more in tune with the peoples of the world so I can connect with them musically. To carry on until I reach the level of someone like Burning Spear, whom I admire greatly: he's an elder in the business and he keeps getting stronger and stronger. I'd like to reach his level and keep the heart. Because if you lose heart, you lose everything. I'd like to be able to keep the vibe, the love in my heart, to be able to compose to the same standards of quality, and even better.
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